Look, I personally wouldn’t mind all that much for a write-in option, however going back to the one candidate for each party leads to nothing but rubber stamped returns of guys like Pete Stark. Who can ignore everyone and only cater to the “guaranteed” elements of the Democratic Party.

So, in the case of Alameda County we have had a Democratic candidate skewed to the pressure group elements in the primary, who in the November election can say to other Democrats, its ME, or that no-name nothing put up by the Republicans. I’ve watched those Republican candidates over the years. They are a endless list of nothings and no-names, leaving voters, especially Democrats with only Pete as the choice, or possibly casting a protest vote for the no-name nothing Republican “winner” of the primary.

I mean the Republican candidates have been absurd.
I always check them out. Students, or chiropractor, and they keep running these hopeless folks year after year. The entire process had just become a joke.
While Pete just kicked back and acted like he owned the seat for life. (mostly true).

BTW, you seem think I am a supporter of Swalwell. I am rather a supporter of anyone except Pete who has a chance to win. Swalwell is a reasonable choice and I fully expect he will be challenged in 2014 by a host of candidates. Fine by me. I just want some real elections.

As to my friend being killed by a shark.
Yes, attacks do happen and people are killed.
But as to rarity, see this from Wikipedia

“Even considering only people who go to beaches, a person’s chance of getting attacked by a shark in the United States is 1 in 11.5 million, and a person’s chance of getting killed by a shark is less than 1 in 264.1 million.[21][22] In the United States, the annual number of people who drown is 3,306, whereas the annual number of shark fatalities is 1.”

So 1 person per year, out of 300 million.

yes, about the same as write-in candidates winning congressional elections. But the “write-in” makes you feel all warm and fuzzy or something.

And in college, they told me the electoral college would never trump the popular vote in a modern day presidential election.

How is it democratic to take away the option of voting for other people? It’s one thing to tell the Green or Libertarian folks that their preferred candidates can’t get on the November ballot unless they finish top 2 in the primary. It’s another thing to tell voters that they can’t vote for one of those candidates, because GV Haste decided it’s just a “feel good measure.” If Eric Swalwell thinks that way, then I have more reasons to vote against him than I thought.

You might not use your friend being killed by a shark as an example of why one shouldn’t swim in the ocean. But you might at least allow for the fact that shark attacks can and do happen.

If you change the word “America” to “Eric” throughout the song, it’s perfect — and the fact that Stark Raving Pete is an atheist, means that the “hyper-pro-God” theme of the song works in his favor as well — a triple play!

Now if you are at all well versed in that particular case, and Alaska politics at all, then you would know that case has nothing at all in common with what goes on here in the East Bay.

No, your write-in concept is just a feel good measure, much as my vote for the no-name Republicans were in Pete Stark’s last 10 contests.
You just end up grumpy with nothing at all to show.

Alaska was entirely different. Additionally, are you familiar with the size of the electorate in Alaska?
Are you also familiar with the name, family background, and the political ties of that “write-in” candidate? That she was the sitting incumbent.
That her father was governor and senator.

Come on JohnW, there is no other case quite like that.

Other than that odd one, you reach all over the nation for one case in 2006.
That is really reaching to make a point.

Heck, I had a friend killed by a shark, but I don’t use that as a example of why one shouldn’t swim in the ocean.
You and I will be long dead before any local congressional election is won by a write-in candidate.

]]>By: JohnWhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2012/07/11/ellen-tauscher-endorses-swalwell-over-stark/comment-page-1/#comment-84977
Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:08:01 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=20348#comment-84977Does anybody know if Swalwell is carrying a full case load in the DA’s office while campaigning? Hard to imagine that he could. If not, is he being paid?
]]>By: JohnWhttp://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2012/07/11/ellen-tauscher-endorses-swalwell-over-stark/comment-page-1/#comment-84976
Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:05:13 +0000http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/?p=20348#comment-84976Re: #8